I have recently become a little obsessed with plants and really want to fill my home with lots of greenery. I think house plants bring so much colour and life into a house making it feel more homely. Having not know much about plants and after telling my friend that I didn’t think my plants were growing much she suggested they might need re-potting. So instead of just buying a new pot I thought I would DIY one to fit in with my spare room decor and give my plants some space to grow.
I was going to write this as a tutorial post but its such an easy DIY, that it doesn’t really need a step by step explanation as there is only one step!
I was looking for a cool, rustic style bucket on Ebay and came across these tin pots that come in a variety of sizes. My original pot was 18cm wide so I decided to get a 28cm bucket so my plant would have plenty of room to grow. I found this copper metallic spray on Ebay too, it is great for using on plastic, wood metal or ceramics so thought it would be prefect.
Bucket, Ebay £11.90
Spray, Ebay £3.95
I sprayed my bucket outside on a plastic sheet to protect the floor and then allowed it to dry for half an hour. It only needed one coat which meant there was plenty of spray paint left for another project.
Repotting
I had never re-potted a plant before, so this was new territory for me. I got some tips from my friend and did the usual (predictable) thing of asking my mum what to do before giving it a go. Here’s some tips I learnt along the way:
Knowing when your plant needs repotting
I noticed my Yucca plant needed repotting after having it around six months and not noticing a change. It had also started to ‘wobble’ in its pot as if the roots weren’t big enough to keep it sturdy anymore. It needed space to grow and spread. My palm plant looked far too big for its pot when I bought it and after lifting it from its original pot I saw lots of roots underneath, all indications of it needing to be repotted.
Size up
Choose a pot that is a good few centimeters bigger than the pot you have already. Measure straight across the top (across the diameter) of the current pot and then look for a pot at least 5cm larger than what you already have. This will allow your plant to grow slowly without being overwhelmed. You can always buy a slightly larger pot later on if your plant is growing faster than you thought.
Choosing soil
As my bucket was bigger than the original pot I needed to put more soil into the bucket before putting my plant in. After wandering around the garden center looking for ‘indoor plant soil’ I realised any multi purpose potting soil will do. So bought a small bag of soil like this. Chose a soil with added nutrients so you don’t have to buy this individually.
Free the roots
Once my spray painted bucket had dried I could repot my plant. I started by filling my bucket with soil about a third of the way up, then got my plant and wearing gloves, tipped the plant upside down holding at the base of the stem and pulled the original pot away from the plant to reveal the roots. I then teased the roots away from the old soil to give it a good chance to grow in the new soil, being sure to keep some of the original soil. I then placed the plant in the center of my bucket and filled around the edges with extra soil, patting the plant in place as I went. The soil should sit level with the original soil and a few centimeters below the top of the new pot.
I love how simple this DIY is, yet it looks super effective and stylish. In our spare room we have a copper mirror and dark wooden floor which the bucket now fits in well with. To care for my plants I water them once a week or whenever the soil seems dry, and keep them away from radiators and walls.
Do you have any tips for caring for house plants? I would love to hear your thoughts, leave a comment below or tweet me.
If you like the look of the cosy chunky blanket on the chair in these photos, check out my DIY arm knitted blanket tutorial to see how I made it!
Anna
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